Action Comics Vol 1 1000
As the time loop progresses, Vandal throws Superman from adversary to adversary, including former villains, alternate versions of himself, and even the power of "nature" itself. Despite this, Clark doesn't back down. He uses time to his advantage, overcoming Vandal's attack, and besting the enemy once and for all. As Clark returns home, he realizes that every incarnation of him would always end with him reuniting with his family. | StoryTitle3 = An Enemy Within | Synopsis3 = While Superman stops Brainiac from attacking Japan, Maggie Sawyer negotiates a hostage situation at a High school; a Principal has taken a student and is holding her at gunpoint. Superman overhears the situation from afar, believing the Principal to be under the influence of Brainiac. The Police bring the Principal's wife to ease the situation, snapping him out of the villain's control. Superman severs the controls of Brainiac's ship, overriding the signal, freeing the principal. Later, Maggie finds a homeless man and tries to help him, but he ignores her. The man is actually in the process of being controlled by Brainiac, but the connection fails. As Superman leaves Japan, he realizes that Brainiac was doomed to fail because humanity is "too strong-minded" to be controlled by any higher power. | StoryTitle4 = The Car | Synopsis4 = Butch Matson takes his car to the shop to get it repaired. When the mechanic asks what damaged the car, Butch responds with "a man wearing red under-wear." While he waits outside, Butch is visited by Superman, who confronts him about the night before. Clark tells him that he looked in to Butch's past, learning about his troubled childhood. Butch became an orphan, and ended up on the streets after both his parents died when he was 13. Butch remembers a hot day when him and the other orphans just wanted to swimming, but there was no pool. Superman tells him to make a decision; either continue to cause trouble in the city, or "be the person who wasn't there for him". Once Superman flies off, Butch takes his repaired car to the old orphanage and opens a fire hydrant, delighting the children, and fulfilling his inner conflict. | StoryTitle5 = The Fifth Season | Synopsis5 = Superman encounters Lex Luthor in the Smallville Planetarium, confronting him about acquiring two objects: the "Eye of Xotar", and "Chronos' Time Scissors". Together, these two objects could be used to erase any genealogical line from history. Luthor rebuffs the claims, stating that he only wishes to stargaze. Superman asks why Luthor chose the Planetarium, and he responds by saying that it was the one place that offered him solace as a child. Luthor explains that in Smallville, there is a time between Winter and Spring where the weather becomes completely unpredictable, a time called "The Fifth Season". During this time period, Luthor would visit the Planetarium to escape from his father's abuse. He then tells Superman of a time where he had once gone there in the hopes of using the facility’s telescope to send out a distress call into space, looking for someone to come down from the heavens to help him. Luthor believed his call was left unanswered, but he was wrong... In school, Luthor had built a "rudimentary laser" with his lab partner, Clark Kent, and taken it to the telescope. However, he had forgotten to heat up the liquid nitrogen, which would have killed him if not for Clark Kent. Clark realized it, and used his heat vision to fix the mistake, saving his friend. Luthor never realized his call had been answered, at the very moment it was sent. In the present, Luthor admits to using the Eye and Scissors to kill Superman. Superman knows this, but wonders if Lex could be different. | StoryTitle6 = Of Tomorrow | Synopsis6 = On Earth, five billion years in the future, the red sun expands to engulf the planet. Superman goes to visit his parents' gravesite and recounts how he won't let the planet be forgotten and updates the Kents on Lois who now runs a galactic information network and tells them that they would be proud of Jon. He says that he loves them, says good bye, and thanks them for all they did for him. | StoryTitle7 = Five Minutes | Synopsis7 = Clark Kent is trying to get an article on political corruption ready in time for the next edition, but once and again he is derailed by emergences only Superman can take care of. Despite everything Clark manages to meet the deadline, but Perry White tells him it's old news now and he is to cover the latest Superman's deeds. As he leaves with Jimmy Olsen, Clark ponders superheroing and reporting are not so different. | StoryTitle8 = Actionland! | Synopsis8 = A tour guide welcomes a group of visitors to "Actionland", a Superman-themed park. The woman guides the crowd throughout Superman's life: his escape from Krypton, his childhood in Smallville, his adult life in Metropolis, his battles alongside the Justice League or by himself against his worst enemies until his final battle against Mister Mxyzptlk where the Man of Steel fell down. All of sudden, the world around the guide tour falls apart, and Mister Mxyzptlk appears, grumbling about his inability to come up with a suitably epic ending despite his reality-rewriting powers. His girlfriend -and tour guide- Miss Gsptlsnz states Mxyzptlk can't choose on an ending because, deep inside, he doesn't want the story to end. Superman defines him as much as he defines Superman. Mxy and Gsp hug as Bat-Mite and his partners-in-crime decide it's their turn now to ride Superman's rocket all the way to the Batcave. | StoryTitle9 = Faster Than a Speeding Bullet | Synopsis9 = Superman spots a crook shooting an innocent bystander. As he streaks forward, he knows he'll not make it. He's too far away. Nevertheless, the hostage woman leans her weight against the gun's barrel, catching the crook off guard. Her reckless behavior obviously doesn't stop the bullet but buys Superman the extra attosecond he needed to save her. Later Superman is talking with Lois. His wife states people are inspired by Superman, but they inspire him in turn. | StoryTitle10 = The Truth | Synopsis10 = Superman gets punched across several buildings and crashes into a coffee shop. Two women find his barely-conscious body and are trying to drag him to a safe place when his assailant arrives and rushes towards Superman. Suddenly Supergirl pounces on the axe-brandishing alien and hits him with a brutal combination of heat vision and rapid fisticuffs to the face. Furious, the alien gets her off him, roaring he'll deal with her next, and resumes his attack. Superman engages him again, but the alien is too powerful and smashes him down once and again easily. Once he's pinned Superman to the ground and shot Supergirl down, the savage alien declares his name is Rogol Zaar, who cleansed the galaxy of the Kryptonian plague and has come there to exterminate the last survivors. As he drives his blade into Superman's chest, he declares he'll finally end the Kryptonian menace just like he promised Jor-El when he destroyed Krypton. | Appearing1 = Featured Characters: * Supporting Characters: * * Villains: * Other Characters: * * * * ** * Brainiac * * * * * * * * * ** ** ** ** ** ** ** * * Mayor Barnes * ** Chief Carlisle * ** *** * * Prankster * * * * ** Benning * * * ** ** ** ** * ** ** ** ** ** ** * Toyman Locations: * ** *** *** S.T.A.R. Labs * Earth's Moon * Venus Items: * Vehicles: * | Appearing2 = Featured Characters: * Supporting Characters: * * * Villains: * * * The Thurans * * Kryptonian Flame-Dragon * * * :* :* * Other Characters: * ** * } * * * Jonathan Kent * Justice League * * * * * * * * * * * * * Locations: * * * ** * Items: * Vehicles: * Concepts: * | Appearing3 = Featured Characters: * * Supporting Characters: * ** Officer Lopez ** Villains: * Other Characters: * Principal Henry Davis of North High School ** Linda Locations * Haiti * Indonesia ** Jakarta * Japan ** Tokyo * ** *** North High School Items: * Vehicles: * | Appearing4 = Featured Characters: * * Supporting Characters: * Villains: * Other Characters * Locations * ** Items: * Vehicles: * | Appearing5 = Featured Characters: * Villains: * Other Characters: * Chronos * Lionel Luthor * Xotar Locations: * Earth ** *** Smallville Planetarium * Krypton * Mercury * The Sun * Venus Items: *Eye of Xotar *Chronos' Time Scissors | Appearing6 = Featured Characters: * Supporting Characters: * Villains: * Other Characters: * Lois Lane * Jon Kent * * * Pete Ross Locations: * ** * Krypton * Phantom Zone * Items: * Vehicles: * | Appearing7 = Featured Characters: * Supporting Characters: * * Villains: * Other Characters: * Locations: * ** Items: * Vehicles: * | Appearing8 = Featured Characters: * * Supporting Characters: * * * Villains: * * * * * * * * Other Characters: * * * * * ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** * * Locations: * * ** ** ** ** Batcave Items: * Vehicles: * | Appearing9 = Featured Characters: * Supporting Characters: * Lila Villains: * Rick Fagen Other Characters: * Locations: * Items: * Vehicles: * | Appearing10 = Featured Characters: * Supporting Characters: * * Villains: * Other Characters: * Jor-El * ** * Red Tornado Locations: * ** Metro Books * Krypton Items: * Vehicles: * | Notes = *This issue is cover-dated early June 2018. * This issue was released with a high issue of variant covers, one for each decade of Superman comics and several retailer-exclusive variants. *Bendis' story "The Truth" leads directly into . * "The Game" appeared in digital editions of this comic. The story, by writer Paul Levitz and artist Neal Adams, had already been published one week earlier as a part of the book and was not included in print editions of this comic. *Solicitation: ::Celebrate 1000 issues of Action Comics with an all-star lineup of top talent as they pay tribute to the comic that started it all! From today's explosive action to a previously unpublished tale illustrated by the legendary Curt Swan to the Man of Tomorrow's future-this very special, oversized issue presents the best of the best in Superman stories! *Longer solicitation: ::Celebrate 1000 issues of ACTION COMICS with an all-star lineup of top talent as they pay tribute to the comic that started it all! From today's explosive action to a previously unpublished tale illustrated by the legendary Curt Swan to the Man of Tomorrow's future — this very special, oversized issue presents the best of the best in Superman stories! ::Contributors to this once-in-a-lifetime issue include legendary Superman movie director Richard Donner and New York Times best-selling writer Geoff Johns, with art by Olivier Coipel. Other contributing creative teams will include Paul Dini with Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez; Tom King with Clay Mann and Jordie Bellaire; Brad Meltzer with John Cassaday and Laura Martin; Louise Simonson with Jerry Ordway; Scott Snyder with Tim Sale, and more to be announced. * Even though it retailed for $7.99, this issue and variants of it were by far the best-selling advance orders of the month of April 2018 from : the standard cover was first, 1960s was third, blank was fourth, 2000s was fifth, 1930s was sixth, 1990s was eighth, 1970s was ninth, 1940s was tenth, 1980s was eleventh, and 1950s was twelfth.[https://www.bleedingcool.com/2018/03/22/action-comics-1000-advance-reorders/ Action Comics #1000 Dumps on All Other Advance Reorders This Week] * Two weeks before it was released, retailers had purchased more than half a million copies.[https://www.bleedingcool.com/2018/04/05/half-million-copies-action-comics-1000/ Retailers Have Bought Half a Million Copies of Action Comics #1000 from DC] In contrast, ''Amazing Spider-Man'' (Volume 1) #800 sold 300,000 copies to retailers.[https://www.bleedingcool.com/2018/04/05/amazing-spider-man-800-sold/ Amazing Spider-Man #800 Has Sold 200,000 Fewer Copies Than Action Comics #1000] * Originally, Doug Mahnke, Grant Morrison, and Frank Quitely were solicited as helping to create this issue but they were not in the final digital or print editions.What Happened to Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely, and Doug Mahnke on Action Comics #1000? | Trivia = *John Byrne was possibly contacted by DC but chose to not participate.[https://www.bleedingcool.com/2018/04/07/why-john-byrne-isnt-part-of-action-comics-1000/ Why John Byrne Isn’t Part of Action Comics #1000] *José Luis García-López came out of retirement for this issue.[https://www.bleedingcool.com/2018/04/07/action-comics-1000-man-steel-c2e2/ More Action Comics #1000 and Man of Steel Artwork Shown at C2E2] * The title of Jurgens' story is a reference to (1985)'s "For the Man Who Has Everything". * The "Actionland" story is a homage to the projected but never built The Amazing World Of Superman theme park. * In his recreation of Superman's life, Mister Mxyzptlk mixes elements of different realities. His conceived story end is a blend of several different stories: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? and Crisis on Infinite Earths (and possibly Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade). * Related to the former point, the Supergirl hologram wears one of her Pre-Crisis costumes. *Each page in the "Never-Ending Battle" story is an homage of a different piece of Superman's history: **The first page shows Superman in his first ever costume, from . **The second page shows the first evolution of Superman’s symbol. This change took place in . **The third page gives Superman’s shield a black background first seen during the 1940's. **The fourth page is a direct reference to “The Midget Menace”, a story from . **The fifth page is a reference to the 1951 Superman and the Mole Men film starring George Reeves. **The sixth page shows Superman being burned by a dragon in order to save Lois Lane. This page looks almost identical to the cover of from 1961. **The seventh page has Superman fighting other Supermen. This is a callback to from 1972. **The eighth page shows Superman being struck by lightning. This is a direct reference to when the same thing happens in Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. **The ninth page shows Superman fighting Silver Banshee, who first appeared in . **The tenth page shows Superman, Superboy, and John Henry Irons fighting Mongul in the “Return of Superman” storyline. **The eleventh page shows Superman imprisoned in the Phantom Zone by Jax-Ur and Mala. This happened in the two part “Blasts from the Past” episode from ''Superman: The Animated Series''. **The twelfth page is a direct reference to the Kingdom Come comic. **The thirteenth page shows four different incarnations Superman has gone through since the entire DC Universe was rebooted in “Flashpoint”. * The hosted a round table discussion to commemorate the issue and Superman's 80th anniversary.Library of Awesome: Paul Levitz and DC Comics * In "Faster Than a Speeding Bullet", Superman reflects he hasn't flown so fast since his father died, a reference to the "Superman: Brainiac"'s finale. * The Truth marks Brian Michael Bendis's first time writing Superman and only the second story he has ever written for DC Comics, following a story in (2000). | Recommended = | Links = [https://www.dccomics.com/comics/action-comics-2016/action-comics-1000 Action Comics #1000 at DCComics.com] }}